Vrancken admits they did not let Salah score a hat-trick

In Trabzonspor's 2-0 win over Hearts, a notable remark came about Egyptian star Mohamed Salah, who scored from a penalty. Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken, whose side lost the match, defended their decision to stop Salah.

Speaking to the Scottish outlet BBC, Vrancken said left-back Mato, who played in place of the injured Harry, controlled Salah well. The coach said he had spoken with Mato and that the choice had proved correct. Vrancken also said that if Salah had scored two or three goals, the decision would have been criticised, adding that they had to trust their players.

Vrancken stressed that their performance against Trabzonspor, a club that spent heavily on new signings and brought Salah in on a free transfer, showed real teamwork against individual quality. Saying he was pleased that his team had recovered from the previous week's result and produced a good team performance, the coach added that he was proud of what his side showed on the pitch.